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What do Forum members think of the cost and the value of using live bacteria additives like
Seachem Stability, API Quickstart, Thrive Aquatics Bacteria Start ??
I have had to recycle a tank or two due to filter accidents; or putting in a new filter to run before removing an older
filter for a good clean out and new media refill;
anyway I often spend my money on these bacteria additives to "speed up" the recycling process especially if I have
fish in the tank - but I don't know if really it makes much difference - still seems to take 3 weeks or so for ammonia
readings to come down to zero.
Are they worth the money? Do they make a difference to the recycling time period of 3 - 4 weeks?

Having recently, last Thursday (yesterday) had a major ammonia spike freak out, on advice I did a 50% water change.
Refilled with dechlorinated water plus lots of Prime and Stability.
Canister filter cleaned from previous green gunk and new bio media added in; also running an Eheim 2008 internal to keep that water flowing.
No casualties to date, and fish look like they are holding in there. Swimming about. Bottom dwellers back down on gravel.
Now some forum members have suggested that I do another water change - 30% worth tomorrow (Saturday).
But, Trevor from my local aquarium shop says no - I am not letting the tank cycle and build up the necessary bacteria. Give the filters a chance to breed bacteria.
Too many water changes will slow down and disrupt the cycling process of my filters (given I have added in plenty of Prime and Stability).
Two conflicting suggestions !!! What sayeth the wise members of the qldaf to this conundrum.
I'll toss and turn all night if I don't get this resolved.

Hi All,
I was wondering what everyone's thought is on how long beneficial bacteria can survive in a canister filter during power outage or a house move? What is the best way too keep it alive in these situations?
All helpful advise would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Hey I'm shutting down my 5ft and moving my fish into an established tank while I setup my new tank tomorrow. The tank won't be full of water till Tuesday so I need to keep the bacteria on my media alive until I can fill the sump back up. Its all bagged up so can I just drop it into the holding tank until Tuesday or is there another way of doing it?
Cheers

One of the most important, and least understood, aspects of successful aquarium keeping is biological filtration and its function in the nitrogen cycle. Traditionally, novice aquarists become disillusioned at the frequently experienced high death rates of their aquatic pets after setting up a new aquarium. Statistically, as much as 60% of the fish sold for a new aquarium will die within the first 30 days. 2 out of every 3 new aquarists abandon the hobby within the first year.
Known as "New Tank Syndrome" these fish are poisoned by high levels of ammonia (NH3) that is produced by the bacterial mineralization of fish wastes, excess food, and the decomposition of animal and plant tissues. Additional ammonia is excreted directly into the water by the fish themselves. The effects of ammonia poisoning in fish are well documented. These effects include: extensive damage to tissues, especially the gills and kidney; physiological imbalances; impaired growth; decreased resistance to disease, and; death.
Nitrite poisoning inhibits the uptake of oxygen by red blood cells. Known as brown blood disease, or methemoglobinemia, the hemoglobin in red blood cells is converted to methemoglobin. This problem is much more severe in fresh water fish than in marine organisms. The presence of chloride ions (CL-) appears to inhibit the accumulation of nitrite in the blood stream.
The successful aquarist realizes the importance of establishing the nitrogen cycle quickly and with minimal stress on the aquarium’s inhabitants. Aquarium filtration has advanced from the old box filters filled with charcoal and glass wool to undergravel filters, then trickle filters, and most recently - fluidized bed filters. Every advance has been to improve upon the effectiveness of biological filtration which in turn increases the efficiency of the nitrogen cycle. The availability of advanced high-tech filtration systems has lent added importance to the understanding of basic aquatic chemistry.
Nitrifying bacteria are classified as obligate chemolithotrophs. This simply means that they must use inorganic salts as an energy source and generally cannot utilize organic materials. They must oxidize ammonia and nitrites for their energy needs and fix inorganic carbon dioxide (CO2) to fulfill their carbon requirements. They are largely non-motile and must colonize a surface (gravel, sand, synthetic biomedia, etc.) for optimum growth. They secrete a sticky slime matrix which they use to attach themselves.
Species of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter are gram negative, mostly rod-shaped, microbes ranging between 0.6-4.0 microns in length. They are obligate aerobes and cannot multiply or convert ammonia or nitrites in the absence of oxygen.
Nitrifying bacteria have long generation times due to the low energy yield from their oxidation reactions. Since little energy is produced from these reactions they have evolved to become extremely efficient at converting ammonia and nitrite. Scientific studies have shown that Nitrosomonas bacterium are so efficient that a single cell can convert ammonia at a rate that would require up to one million heterotrophs to accomplish. Most of their energy production (80%) is devoted to fixing CO2 via the Calvin cycle and little energy remains for growth and reproduction. As a consequence, they have a very slow reproductive rate.
Nitrifying bacteria reproduce by binary division. Under optimal conditions, Nitrosomonas may double every 7 hours and Nitrobacter every 13 hours. More realistically, they will double every 15-20 hours. This is an extremely long time considering that heterotrophic bacteria can double in as short a time as 20 minutes. In the time that it takes a single Nitrosomonas cell to double in population, a single E. Coli bacterium would have produced a population exceeding 35 trillion cells.
None of the Nitrobacteraceae are able to form spores. They have a complex cytomembrane (cell wall) that is surrounded by a slime matrix. All species have limited tolerance ranges and are individually sensitive to pH, dissolved oxygen levels, salt, temperature, and inhibitory chemicals. Unlike species of heterotrophic bacteria, they cannot survive any drying process without killing the organism. In water, they can survive short periods of adverse conditions by utilizing stored materials within the cell. When these materials are depleted, the bacteria die.
Biological Data
There are several species of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter bacteria and many strains among those species. Most of this information can be applied to species of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter in general., however, each strain may have specific tolerances to environmental factors and nutriment preferences not shared by other, very closely related, strains. The information presented here applies specifically to those strains being cultivated by Fritz Industries, Inc.
Temperature
The temperature for optimum growth of nitrifying bacteria is between 77-86° F (25-30° C).
Growth rate is decreased by 50% at 64° F (18° C).
Growth rate is decreased by 75% at 46-50° F.
No activity will occur at 39° F (4° C)
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 32° F (0° C).
Nitrifying bacteria will die at 120° F (49° C)
Nitrobacter is less tolerant of low temperatures than Nitrosomonas. In cold water systems, care must be taken to monitor the accumulation of nitrites.
pH
The optimum pH range for Nitrosomonas is between 7.8-8.0.
The optimum pH range for Nitrobacter is between 7.3-7.5
Nitrobacter will grow more slowly at the high pH levels typical of marine aquaria and preferred by African Rift Lake Cichlids. Initial high nitrite concentrations may exist. At pH levels below 7.0, Nitrosomonas will grow more slowly and increases in ammonia may become evident. Nitrosomonas growth is inhibited at a pH of 6.5. All nitrification is inhibited if the pH drops to 6.0 or less. Care must be taken to monitor ammonia if the pH begins to drop close to 6.5. At this pH almost all of the ammonia present in the water will be in the mildly toxic, ionized NH3+ state.
Dissolved Oxygen
Maximum nitrification rates will exist if dissolved oxygen (DO) levels exceed 80% saturation. Nitrification will not occur if DO concentrations drop to 2.0 mg/l (ppm) or less. Nitrobacter is more strongly affected by low DO than NITROSOMONAS.
Micronutrients
All species of nitrifying bacteria require a number of micronutrients. Most important among these is the need for phosphorus for ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) production. The conversion of ATP provides energy for cellular functions. Phosphorus is normally available to cells in the form of phosphates (PO4). Nitrobacter, especially, is unable to oxidize nitrite to nitrate in the absence of phosphates.
Sufficient phosphates are normally present in regular drinking water. During certain periods of the year, the amount of phosphates may be very low. A phenomenon known as "Phosphate Block" may occur. If all the above described parameters are within the optimum ranges for the bacteria and nitrite levels continue to escalate without production of nitrate, then phosphate block may be occurring. In recent years, with the advent of phosphate-free synthetic sea salt mixes, this problem has become prevalent among marine aquarists when establishing a new tank.
Fortunately, phosphate block is easy to remedy. A source of phosphate needs to be added to the aquarium. Phosphoric Acid is recommended as being simplest to use and dose, however, either mono-sodium phosphate or di-sodium phosphate may be substituted. Fritz PH LOWER contains 31% phosphoric acid. A one time application of 1 drop per 4 gallons of water is all that is necessary to activate the Nitrobacter. This small dosage of PH LOWER will not affect the pH or alkalinity of marine aquaria.
Minimal levels of other essential micronutrients is often not a problem as they are available in our drinking water supplies. The increasing popularity of high-tech water filters for deionizing, distilling, and reverse osmosis (hyper-filtration) produce water that is stripped of these nutrients. While these filters are generally excellent for producing high purity water, this water will also be inhibitory to nitrifying bacteria. The serious aquarist must replenish the basic salts necessary to the survival of the aquarium’s inhabitants. These salts, however, usually lack these critical micronutrients.
Nutriment
All species of Nitrosomonas use ammonia (NH3) as an energy source during its conversion to nitrite (NO2). Ammonia is first converted (hydrolyzed) to an amine (NH2) compound then oxidized to nitrite. This conversion process allows Nitrosomonas to utilize a few simple amine compounds such as those formed by the conversion of ammonia by chemical ammonia removers.
All species of Nitrobacter use nitrites for their energy source in oxidizing them to nitrate (NO3).
Color
The cells of nitrifying bacteria are reddish (Nitrosomonas) to brownish (Nitrobacter) in color..What you see are actually clumps of bacteria stuck together by their own slime matrix.

few questions couldn't find info on this site through search bar..
how long will good bacteria last/stay on gravel after water has been removed, gravel than mostly bucketed but not washed with anything, than put back in tank after tank put in new location???
also on a sponge air filter if i took one out of tank, gave it squeeze clean in bucket of tank water, than let it dry and put away, get it back out and put in new tank, will it still be full of good bacteria and tank be pretty much cycled straight away??
also if i don't clean any slight algae build up on tank before i empty and move tank but than scrub it off once i refill the tank with new water will that make it near instant cycle?
thanks for help!?!

Heard today a interesting bit of info from a guy. wanted to find out if its true?
He said that if your sump has light on it that the bacteria growing in there will mutate and not work or die or something .
Intrested because my sumps have light on them ! Yes my sumps are working but will they do beter in the dark?
Thanks for reading and info!

Unfortunately don't have any photos thus far so it makes it a bit harder - will get some tonight however.
Have seen some strange growth on the filter and also the slate that is in the tank - it's a very deep orange colour, almost brown.. it seems to only grow on the slate and filter however. All levels of the tank are fine, except nitrite as the tank was never properly cycled and it's slowly taking it's time to properly level out.
Any ideas? :sweatdrop:

I am picking up a 6ft tank tomorrow and will be setting it up in the few weeks (still need a few more bits). At the moment I have a 3ft with a sump with some bio balls and matrix in it and was hoping to use the matrix to seed bacteria to the new 6ft. The 3ft though has a possible case of fluke and has snails and was wondering if I was to use the matrix from this tank would it carry over this crap to the new tank?